The present invention relates generally to the field of spectroscopy. It is known that a spectrometer may be used to identify one or more compounds based on the spectral profile of absorption or emission. It is also known that spectrometers may be hand-held devices and may be communicatively linked with a computer or telephone via wireless networking. One patent of interest might include U.S. Pat. No. 7,420,663. However, it has not been possible, heretofore, to spectroscopically encode or decode a message or to provide efficient product authentication using spectroscopy, and further to integrate portable spectroscopy with many sources of data to enhance verification and tracking.
In a world in which products may be contaminated, adulterated, counterfeited, or mislabeled, consumers are increasingly searching for reassurance about what they buy and what they eat. It is desirable to provide fast, in situ verification.
Methods such as RFID (radio frequency ID) only apply to the containers, not the contents. If the drug materials are removed and replaced, container security is useless. However, if the shrink-wrapped “tamper-resistant” seal is tagged in a proprietary manner, the materials within can be assumed “unadulterated.”
One established form of authentication is tamper-resistant packaging. A common solution is through film wrappers, a transparent film is wrapped securely around the entire product container. The film must be cut or torn to open the container and remove the product. A tight “fit” of the film around the container must be achieved, e.g., by a shrink-type process. In selecting methods of packaging authentication it is important to minimize the possibility that the material or a facsimile may be broadly available or susceptible to imperceptible removal and reapplication. For example, a film wrapper sealed with overlapping end flaps must not be capable of being opened and resealed without leaving visible evidence of entry. Heat-shrink bands or wrappers may be employed for authentication. A band or wrapper is securely applied to a portion of the container, usually at the juncture of the cap and container. The band or wrapper is heat shrunk to provide a tight fit. It must be cut or torn to open the container and remove the product and the wrapper cannot be worked off and reapplied without visible damage. The use of a perforated tear strip can enhance tamper-resistance.
Whole boxes or even pallets may be shrink-wrapped. Wrap types include, but are not limited to, shrink bands, shrink sleeves, tapes, and security seals. Typically these wraps, once broken, cannot be replaced.
To further prevent tampering the film wrapper may employ an identifying characteristic that cannot be readily duplicated. This may include imbuing the film with an identifying characteristic that is proprietary and different for various products. Current identifying characteristics include color or imprinted characters on the wrapping material.
Counterfeiting is a large and growing problem. Current solutions have focused on the cardboard packaging or special stickers, but not on the outer wrap, and, so far as the applicants are aware, no anti-counterfeiting approach to date has used covert spectroscopic tagging of the wrap layer. There are several reasons for this: large lab spectrometers have been useful for forensic testing, but not for field testing. The test personnel have been “mystery shoppers,” either security staff or field sales personnel, who select suspect containers, purchase them, and send them back to a lab for forensic analysis, which often includes spectroscopy.
The existing state of the art in spectroscopy, whether desktop, in-process, portable, handheld, or cell phone, acquires spectral information and then processes it either locally or, if remotely, with respect to a single reference source. Spectroscopy has only recently become usable outside the laboratory. Newer portable and handheld spectrometers have focused on ease of use, to enable inspectors and lab assistants to collect spectroscopic data on material composition.
Some background regarding spectroscopy may be found in previous patent filings of one or another of the present inventors, for example WO 2009111579 entitled “Spectrometric methods and apparatus”, WO 2004069164 entitled “Wireless blood glucose monitoring system”, WO 2004023974 entitled “Apparatus and method for non-invasive measurement of blood constituents”, WO 2003094679 entitled “Spectroscopic analyzer for blender”, WO 2003087740 entitled “Method and apparatus for determining the homogeneity of a granulation during tableting”, WO 2002016905 entitled “Near infrared blood glucose monitoring system”, WO 2002014812 entitled “Automated system and method for spectroscopic analysis”, and WO 1995026018 entitled “Fluid, gas or vapor diagnostic device.
In the current state of the art, spectra are collected with a spectrometer. Chemometric processing is then performed in one of two ways: either it is managed on a computer directly embedded in the spectrometer, or file(s) are downloaded and made available for chemometric processing. In contrast, many of the embodiments described herein employ wireless communications integrated with the hand-held spectrometer to enable sending the data to a remote chemometrics processor, where the chemometrics processor accesses a model and sends the analyzed data back to the cell phone spectrometer in real time.
Real-time chemometrics makes it possible to update the model, and enables results from miniature and portable spectrometers. Building upon the emerging portability and simplicity makes it possible for consumers to use spectroscopy for new and unforeseen applications.